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Sunday, April 5, 2015

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

Jerry Renault is an unremarkable freshman at Trinity, a Catholic
school which is home to a secret society of upperclassmen known as the
Vigils. These seniors are known for
bullying younger students into performing outrageous pranks, such as loosening
all the screws in classroom furniture to make it collapse. When the school’s acting headmaster takes
over the annual chocolate sale fundraiser, each boy is expected to sell a
record fifty boxes apiece. Except for
Jerry Renault, that is, because the Vigils have ordered him to cause a stir by
refusing to sell the chocolates for ten straight days.

This minor act of rebellion escalates out of control as Jerry
continues to refuse to sell the chocolates, even after the Vigils’ order has
expired. He’s quickly marked as an
outcast, and it becomes clear that this fundraiser isn’t so much about money as
it is power, and whether it’s the teachers or the Vigils who really control the
school. I never really liked this type
of “man vs. society” conflict when I was younger since it seemed so unfair that
the entire world was ganging up on one person.
As an adult, though, I’ve since learned that life isn’t always
fair. This hard fact is especially true
when it comes to people who have the guts to be different or to take an
opposing viewpoint.

Why do you think that some people choose to take a stand on a
certain issue, even when it means they could potentially be embarrassed or
humiliated? After all, wouldn’t it be
easier to just go along with the program and not make any waves? Do you think that there might be some kind of
breaking point that makes people want to stand up and rebel, even if it’s over
an issue that might seem trivial to others?